Alexa Anderson Advances on So You Think You Can Dance

A total of 35 hopefuls advanced from Las Vegas on So You Think You Can Dance last night.

But the two-hour episode really boiled down to Alexa Anderson.

Alexa Anderson and Company in Las Vegas

The judges initially singled out Alexa - a Season 8 contestant who fell just short of the Top 20 - for not connecting during a routine, with Adam Shankman telling her: "We’re debating putting you through because you are dead... Dance like you want it, honey."

Later on - incredibly! - Anderson tried again and blew the panel away with her emotion and enthusiasm. It was almost as if the show planned out the entire arc!

“This child could win,” Debbie Allen said during Alexa’s solo, while Nigel Lythgoe agreed, telling the now-bubbly blonde: "You’ve got a little star by your name."

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Nokia Lumia devices now present in 54 markets, 44 percent of Windows Phone apps available in China

In case you want to check Nokia's pulse amid a mixture of good news and bad news, the company's decided to dish out some new stats on its Windows Phones at the first-ever Mobile Asia Expo here in Shanghai. Asia region president Olivier Puech announced the Lumia devices are currently available in 54 markets worldwide, courtesy of over 130 operators and over 80,000 apps (though our friends over at All About Windows Phone said the marketplace broke the 90,000 barrier last month). Sadly, there was no mention of market share or sales figures, but Puech did add that since the Lumia launch in China at the end of March, only 35,000 -- or about 44 percent -- of all those Windows Phone apps are available in the restricted marketplace, 5,500 of which are tailored for the local market. Of course, with Nokia's constant push in the country these numbers should, hopefully, only go up, so hang in there, Elop!

Continue reading Nokia Lumia devices now present in 54 markets, 44 percent of Windows Phone apps available in China

Nokia Lumia devices now present in 54 markets, 44 percent of Windows Phone apps available in China originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Retrospective ballot for a Leicester Lord Mayor role

This is to force a referendum n Leicester for the people to say whether they want a Mayor or not running the city council. The city was not asked and had this very expensive and seemingly power mad position/post forced on them without being asked.

The people of Leicester deserve to say if they want this position.

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The weight of nations: An estimation of adult human biomass

ScienceDaily (June 18, 2012) ? The world population is over seven billion and all of these people need feeding. However, the energy requirement of a species depends not only on numbers but on its average mass. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Public Health has estimated the total mass of the human population, defined its distribution by region, and the proportion of this biomass due to the overweight and obesity.

Up to half of all food eaten is burned up in physical activity. Increasing mass means higher energy requirements, because it takes more energy to move a heavy body. Even at rest a bigger body burns more energy.

Using data from the United Nations and World Health Organization, researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimated that the adult human population weights in at 287 million tonnes. 15 millions of which is due to the overweight and 3.5 million due to obesity.

While the average body mass globally was 62kg, North America, which has the highest body mass of any continent, with an average body mass of 80.7kg. North America has only 6% of the world's population but 34% of the world's biomass mass due to obesity. In contrast Asia has 61% of the world's population but only 13% of the world's biomass due to obesity.

If all countries had the same average BMI as the USA the total human biomass would increase by 58 million tonnes -- this is the equivalent of an additional 935 million people of world average body mass.

Explaining the implications of this study Sarah Walpole said, "Our results emphasize the importance of looking at biomass rather than just population numbers when considering the ecological impact of a species, especially humans."

This study was based on the 2005 WHO SURF report so it is an underestimate of the current situation. The world's population is continuing to increase in size -- the UN predicts that by 2050 there could be 8.9 billion people on the planet.

Prof Ian Roberts, continued, "Everyone accepts that population growth threatens global environmental sustainability -- our study shows that population fatness is also a major threat. Unless we tackle both population and fatness -- our chances are slim."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Sarah C Walpole, David Prieto-Merino, Phil Edwards, John Cleland, Gretchen Stevens and Ian Roberts. The weight of nations: an estimation of adult human biomass. BMC Public Health, 2012 [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Rich Gen Y, Gen X help families more than Boomers

By Eve Tahmincioglu

Who would have thought the younger, spoiled generations would be more generous than baby boomers when it came to looking out for their families?

A study of wealthy Americans found that 40 percent of adults younger than 46 ? the Generation X and Generation Y set ? already have established financial plans to help care for their parents as they age, compared to only 20 percent of baby boomers who have done so, according to a survey released Monday by U.S. Trust, the global wealth and investment management unit of Bank of America.

And, the poll found, 54 percent of Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers paid some medical costs for their parents and other relatives, compared to 42 percent of boomers.

The online survey, conducted in March, polled 642 adults with at least $3 million in assets, not including their primary homes. It points to different financial attitudes among the generations, ?most likely shaped by personal experience and societal responses to economic realities,? said?Keith Banks, president of?U.S. Trust.

?I don?t think the boomers are stingier,? Banks maintained, pointing out that some boomers may no longer have parents to care for anymore, or at least are not as likely to be doing so as younger folks.

What concerns him is that the younger and older generations both have to help family members at such high rates when it comes to things like medical care.

Overall, he added, there more commonalities among the generations than differences, except when it came to wealth transfer.

The poll found that when it comes to leaving money for their kids, the younger group said they were more inclined to pass along an inheritance than boomers, at a rate of 76 percent versus 55 percent.

Indeed, even high net-worth individuals are cautious about their wallets these days.

?Many boomers are beginning to realize that they are underfunded for retirement in any traditional sense,? said Jim Lee, a financial planner and author of ?Resilience and the Future of Everyday Life,??which includes a chapter on how perceptions of retirement are changing.

?Given record low interest rates and a decade of minimal returns for the stock market, some boomers have been spending down their portfolios sooner than they anticipated,? he explained. ?Add longer life expectancies into the mix, and you've got a recipe for smaller inheritances.? ?

Here are some additional findings from the U.S. Trust survey:

• 61 percent of wealthy parents are not fully confident their children will be well-prepared to handle any financial inheritance left to them, with baby boomers having the least degree of confidence. Among those, 32 percent of baby boomers, compared to 52 percent of Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers and 54 percent of older respondents ages 67 and older, are confident their children will be prepared emotionally and financially to receive a financial legacy.
• And only 37 percent of wealthy parents have fully disclosed their family?s level of wealth to their children, and 51 percent have disclosed only a little information on the subject.

More money and business news:

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Housing recovery blip: Foreclosures jump

By Allison Linn

The housing market has shown some promising signs of late, but a fresh batch of foreclosure data offers a reminder that any recovery from the housing bust will likely be slow, spotty and painful.

RealtyTrac reported Thursday that foreclosure filings rose by 9 percent in May from a month earlier, to 205,990 total properties that were subject to default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions.

The jump in foreclosure activity was likely because lenders are finally getting to a backlog of homes they might have started foreclosing on last year if they weren?t facing criticism for cutting corners and pushing foreclosures through too quickly and without adequate controls, said Daren Blomquist, a vice president with RealtyTrac.

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He noted that the major increases came from properties that are just starting the foreclosure process.

Still, the figures for May are down 4 percent from a year ago. In addition, the report noted, recent sales data suggests that not all homes with foreclosure filings will result in the bank taking the property.

?Based on the rise in pre-foreclosure sales we?ve seen so far this year, a higher percentage of these new foreclosure starts will likely end up as short sales or auction sales to third parties rather than bank repossessions going forward,? Brandon Moore, RealtyTrac?s CEO, said in a statement.

That?s important because bank-owned homes tend to sell for less than homes in earlier stages of foreclosure.

RealtyTrac?s data shows that a home that is in pre-foreclosure sells for 21 percent less than a non-distressed home, on average. A bank-owned home sells for 33 percent less on average.

Blomquist cautioned that some of these houses entering the foreclosure process will end up being repossessed by the bank. In addition, the increase in foreclosure activity that is expected as banks work through their backlog could put a damper on housing prices once again, at least in some parts of the country.

?I actually think the stabilization in home prices and home sales is, in part, a result of the foreclosure inventory being artificially restricted over the past year and a half,? he said.

The National Association of Realtors reported last month that existing-home sales rose 3.4 percent from March to April and were up 10 percent from a year earlier.

Median home prices also were up about 10 percent in April from a year earlier. May?data is due out next week.

Record-low mortgage rates also could be providing a boost for the housing market. Freddie Mac said last week that the average rate on a 30-year loan dropped to 3.67 percent.

Of course, with real estate it?s always all about location, and the foreclosure report showed that while some pockets of the country have seen some improvement others are still struggling. Georgia posted the highest foreclosure rate for the month, overtaking traditionally foreclosure-plagued states such as Florida, California, Nevada and Arizona.

(You can click on the map above to get data by state, city or ZIP code.)

Blomquist said while some cities seem to have broken the housing-bust cycle and at least stabilized, the data from Georgia illustrates the uneven nature of the market.

?Georgia is still caught in the downward spiral of decreasing home prices, and that in turn is helping to fuel more foreclosures,? he said.

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How is the housing market in your area?

TODAY real estate expert Barbara Corcoran shows us how the other half lives, peeking into homes on the market that have been occupied by such celebrities as Zsa Zsa Gabor, Claire Danes, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

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Cell Seattle's Trevor Duncan on Growth Through Recycling | Urban ...

The upstart Washington-based e-waste recycling program continues to spread its recycling mission by adding new recycling centers and initiatives.

Cell Seattle is a small electronics recycling company that was formed in 2011 to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of cell phone usage. We have created a sustainable vehicle for mobile phone recycling in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Our passion lies in reducing harmful landfill waste by returning perfectly reusable cell phones and electronics into the hands of end users. We are proud members of the Renton, WA, and Newcastle, WA, chambers of commerce.

Since our last guest blog for 1-800-RECYCLING, Cell Seattle has been busy carrying out its mission by responsibly recycling more than 400 used cell phones and electronic devices. In total, more than 100 pounds of e-waste has been successfully collected and diverted from landfills.

We are also pleased to report that our partnership network has expanded to include nine new drop-off locations, with 12 total now within the U.S. One location is more than halfway across the country from our Seattle base in Pekin, IL. This partner, Appliance Depot, specializes in reducing waste by refurbishing old washers, dryers and refrigerators for resale. As partners, we are proving to be a great team when it comes to recycling otherwise discarded household items.

As thrilling as it is to be expanding beyond state lines, Cell Seattle has continued to focus on sustainability efforts in our own back yard ? volunteering time each month to assist local civic groups and contributing to such projects as tree planting, trail restoration and trash pick-ups.

Dumpster Days

Cell Seattle participated in its first?community-wide?electronic recycling drive at the Cascade Neighborhood Association?s Dumpster Days, this past June 9 and 10, in Renton.?The event exceeded our expectations! We planned to be open and accepting trash and electronics from 9 to 5 both days, however, by 1:30 p.m. on the first day, the dumpsters were full.

Unfortunately, we did not anticipate having to turn people away, but we are happy to report that 50 cubic yards of household garbage was discarded along with about 20 pounds of electronics diverted from landfills. We definitely picked up some best practices for the second event in 2013.

Homeless in Seattle

Helping to link these otherwise discarded resources to persons in need and those without shelter has also been at the heart of Cell Seattle?s vision. In tandem with the Homeless in Seattle community, Cell Seattle is currently handing out phones to area citizens and families. Through public donations of used cell phones and accessories, funds are generated to provide prepaid phones topped off with minutes.

This program has enabled personal communication links that likely would not have existed otherwise. The gratitude expressed from citizens benefiting from donations is infectious and has bolstered the continuing efforts on their behalf.

K-cups

Used Keurig K-cups can be recycled into seedlings.

One last exciting development has been an initiative to keep an easily overlooked form of plastic out of landfills. My fianc?e, Katie, a graphic artist, discovered that when emptied, spent Keurig ?K-cups? make excellent containers for starting seedlings. Once used for their intended purpose, the plastic cups can be repurposed indefinitely for urban gardening. The emptied grounds also make a great addition to any compost pile.

Trevor Duncan, founder, Cell Seattle

When both the cups and the contents are reused, there truly is no waste! Just think about how quickly those tiny containers pile up in the trash heap when tossed out. Now multiply that amount by the number of consumers currently using a Keurig. Pretty astonishing, isn?t it? The logistics are still being determined, but our company plans to work with nurseries and greenhouses (maybe even Keurig itself) to promote this idea. In the meantime, we encourage readers to reuse their K-cups at home.

If you can?t imagine finding the time or energy to do all the steps yourself, but want to make sure your cups are recycled, contact Cell Seattle to start an outreach effort in your area!

Trevor Duncan is the founder of Cell Seattle. For more information on the program,?email?him or phone him at?425.233.2185. ?Visit the?Cell Seattle blog??for the latest information.

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Sentinel Earth observer to launch

14 June 2012 Last updated at 14:32 GMT By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Europe is looking to roll out its ambitious Earth observation programme even though the long-term budget to support it has still not been agreed.

The European Space Agency has taken a decision this week to reserve a rocket to launch the Sentinel-1 radar satellite in 2013.

It should be followed into orbit by further satellites in 2014.

But the European Union, which owns the programme and will fund its operation, has stalled on the financing.

It means - at the moment - that Sentinel-1 would get into space with only a few months of guaranteed budget to sustain its observations of the planet.

Nonetheless, the council of Esa, which has been meeting in Paris over the past two days, is confident the money issues can soon be resolved.

"The council has asked the executive to go ahead, to start all the activities that will make a launch possible next year, between October and the end of 2013," explained European Space Agency (Esa) spokesman Franco Bonacina.

"We cannot wait; if we wait, we risk losing our launch slot and that could end up costing us more money," he told BBC News.

Failed observer

Sentinel-1 would ride into orbit on a Soyuz rocket from the Sinnamary spaceport in French Guiana. The spaceport's operator, Arianespace, needs a year's notice that a satellite will be ready to fly so that it can plan a launch schedule.

Without a reservation being made now, Sentinel-1's flight would almost certainly be bumped to 2014.

The radar mission will be engaged in wide range of land and ocean surveillance tasks, such as oil-spill monitoring and earthquake hazard assessment.

Until recently, this data was provided by the Envisat spacecraft. But its sudden failure in orbit in April has put some urgency behind the desire to launch its successor.

Sentinel-1 is just the first in a series of orbiting sensors for the multi-billion-euro project intended to inform European policies to deal with global change, and to help enforce EU law.

This venture, known as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), is a European Commission initiative on which Esa is acting as the technical adviser and procurement agent. Simply put, Esa is building GMES for the EU.

Large sums

But the EC is currently in dispute with its own member states over the future financing of the endeavour.

The commission, which is the executive arm of the 27-nation bloc, had wanted GMES funded as an intergovernmental venture, in which the big participating states would cover most of the costs.

The EU's member nations, on the other hand, demanded GMES be included inside the union's next multi-annual budget (2014 to 2020) to provide the project with continuity and certainty.

The European Parliament felt the same way, and Denmark, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, has just told the Commission that GMES's position in the multi-annual framework should go into negotiation.

"This has helped ease concerns and convince everyone that these issues will soon be sorted out," Mr Bonacina said. "And of course the Envisat users are desperately waiting for something to replace the satellite they have lost."

However, the Esa council decision to go ahead and reserve a Soyuz is not a hard decision to actually launch Sentinel-1, and if the EU fails to fix a satisfactory budget then the programme will be plunged into crisis.

The sums involved in GMES financing are considerable. Already, the EU and Esa have committed 2.3bn euros (?1.9bn) to the construction of a fleet of spacecraft, and it is envisaged a further 5.8bn will be needed to carry the project operationally through to the end of the decade and plan for its ongoing maintenance.

The Sentinels represent the biggest commitment to Earth observation from any geopolitical bloc.

Sentinel-2 will be an optical imager, focusing on land changes. Sentinel-3 will carry instruments to measure sea-surface topography, and ocean and land surface temperature. Sentinels 4 and 5 are sensors dedicated to the study of atmospheric chemistry and will be hosted on Europe's meteorological satellites.

Mars missions

The other significant development to come out of the Esa council meeting concerned Europe's ExoMars programme.

This involves two missions to the Red Planet that are planned to launch later this decade.

Esa is currently trying put in place the technical and financial arrangements that will permit these missions to proceed. Changes were required when the US space agency (Nasa) withdrew from the projects last year.

Esa's council noted the efforts of its executive to find a full budget for ExoMars (it is short by several hundred million euros) but took no formal decision on the future of the programme.

It is expected a sum of about 80m euros will be released to industry later this month to enable the building of the spacecraft to continue. The situation will then be reviewed again at the end of the year.

The 2016 mission would put a satellite in orbit around Mars to study its atmosphere. It will also have a small landing demonstrator that will do some very short-lived science on the surface of the planet.

In 2018, a rover would then be sent to land on Mars and search for signs of past or present life.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter

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CNN cancels John King's evening show

NEW YORK (AP) ? CNN is canceling John King's evening news show, making him the first victim of the network's bad stretch in the ratings.

"JK USA" has aired at 6 p.m. ET since 2010. CNN said Wednesday that Wolf Blitzer's "Situation Room" would expand to three hours, and King will become the network's lead national campaign correspondent.

CNN has been suffering this spring in the ratings, particularly since interest in following the presidential campaign on television hasn't heated up. King's show was routinely CNN's least-watched in the evening.

King has covered seven presidential campaigns, four of them with CNN.

Associated Press

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Study: World opinion of US, President Obama slips

By F. Brinley Bruton, msnbc.com

Global overall confidence in and attitudes toward the United States have slipped since the beginning of President Barack Obama's presidency, a new survey of 21 countries by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project showed.

But while confidence in Obama -- and with it the United States -- fell, people in a large number of countries continued to say they were confident in the president's foreign policy leadership, according to the poll. This did not hold true among many in predominantly Muslim countries, among them key American allies.?

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Pakistan's decision to convict a doctor who helped the U.S. track down Osama bin Laden was met with outrage in the U.S. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

In Europe, favorable attitudes toward the United States fell seven points from 2009 to 60 percent in 2012, and 10 points in Muslim countries, to 15 percent.?

Confidence in Obama himself in Europe declined six points during the same period to a still-robust 80 percent. But the study showed fewer than?three-in-ten in Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and Jordan?expressed confidence in Obama.

Confidence in Obama?plummeted?24 points to 38 percent in China.

As United States and Western nations pull out, China seeks role in Afghanistan

Since Bush, a 'real improvement'
Opinions about the United States were not close to historic lows, however, according to?Richard Wike, associate director of the Pew Global Attitudes Project.

"It is worth?keeping in mind when talking about Obama and America's image, he is still considerably higher than during (the presidency of George W.) Bush," Wike said. "In?2009, we generally saw a real improvement in America's image (and) in general that pattern still holds."

Read the Pew report here

With Obama's presidency, the biggest improvements in the United States' image occurred among Europeans, with people in?France, Spain, and Germany registering a positive view of the U.S. that is at least 20 percentage points higher than in 2008, the study showed.

Opinions about the United States also got a big boost in Japan, where 72 percent expressed a favorable opinion of the country, up from 50 percent four years ago. America's image in Japan improved dramatically in 2011, thanks in large part to relief efforts following the March earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of that country.

Sen. Chris Coons shares his thoughts about the United States' handling of Chinese dissident situation.

But a major sore point for many was the United States' ongoing drone-strikes policy.?In 17 of 20 countries surveyed, more than half disapproved of American drone attacks targeting extremists in countries such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

Report: Obama embraces disputed definition of 'civilian' in drone wars

About a year after he ordered the Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden, just seven percent of Pakistanis have a positive view of Obama, the same percentage that voiced confidence in President George W. Bush during the final year of his administration.?

"Obama's effect that we've seen on America's image in much of the world really hasn't happened in many of the predominantly Muslim countries that we survey," Wike said.?

Another shift in opinion came with the world's view of China in the economic balance of power. Among the 14 countries surveyed each year from 2008 to 2012, 45 percent?said the U.S. was the world's top economic power in 2008, while just 22 percent?said China. Today, only 36 percent?said the U.S. was the leading economic power, while 42 percent said it was China.

The Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project?surveyed 26,000 people in 21 countries from March 17 to April 20.

More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

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Forget Me Not

Angels, Demons, and Humans, oh my! 1x1 roleplay.

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Shooting Challenge: Blacklight Portraits [Video]

It's not just for stoner posters anymore. For this week's Shooting Challenge, you're going to elevate the blacklight to fine portraiture. More »

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Former Gabrielle Giffords aide Ron Barber wins election to finish her term (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Russians, Poles clash at Euro 2012 match

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA

updated 6:17 p.m. ET June 12, 2012

WARSAW, Poland - Soccer hooligans clashed with rival fans and police before and during Poland's game against bitter rival Russia on Tuesday, leaving 15 injured while more than 100 people were detained.

Following scattered fighting in the Polish capital before the match, police fired rubber bullets at a group of fans who attacked them with bottles and stones near an outdoor fan zone in central Warsaw where about 75,000 people were watching the game on huge screens. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.

None of the injured, which included a police officer, were in life-threatening condition.

About 5,000 Russian fans marched to the match at the National Stadium to celebrate the Russia Day national holiday. It was seen as provocative to many Poles. The two countries share a difficult history, including decades of control by Moscow over Poland during the Cold War. Many Poles felt authorities shouldn't have allowed the Russians to march as a group in Warsaw given the historical wounds.

One of the most violent incidents occurred during the march. Polish hooligans attacked Russians, who responded violently. The two sides, made up of dozens of men, kicked and beat each other in the face, while flares could be seen exploding in their midst.

Associated Press journalists saw several people lying injured and bleeding on the ground. Poland and Russia fans were also seen fighting and throwing stones outside the stadium.

Near the fan zone, new fighting apparently unrelated to nationalist tensions broke out among Polish fans. Police responded with rubber bullets and tear gas and made some arrests. Some of the men wore Polish team T-shirts and one said he was attacking police simply because he didn't like them.

Before the game, Russian fans clashed with police on a bridge near the National Stadium and police were later seen making arrests. The news agency PAP reported that police used water cannons and tear gas to quell the disturbances.

In another incident, a group of clearly drunken Polish men began fighting among themselves, hitting and kicking each other. Two were on the ground bleeding and police intervened, throwing two more to the ground. The men were holding cans of beer and mumbling and one appeared to be unconscious. An AP reporter witnessed the incident and saw police detain three people.

___

Associated Press writers Vanessa Gera in Warsaw and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Russia, Poland play out 1-1 draw

WARSAW, Poland (AP) -Alan Dzagoev scored his third goal of the European Championship and Jakub Blaszczykowski equalized in the second half as Russia and Poland drew 1-1 Tuesday.

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Cloud Cruiser Raises $6M From ONSET Ventures To Help Companies Get Their Cloud Costs Under Control

It seems like everyone is moving their IT into the cloud, but very few organizations have a real good sense of how much money they're actually spending there -- or how much money they could be saving by optimizing their costs. That's a problem Cloud Cruiser is looking to solve, by giving companies a comprehensive dashboard to see and manage all their cloud resources. To do so, the company has raised $6 million in Series B funding led by ONSET Ventures and added ONSET founder Terry Opdendyk to its board of directors. Founded in 2010, Cloud Cruiser has built a management platform that integrates with existing enterprise cloud services, keeping a running tally of all the services that a company is using and allowing businesses to lower costs by optimizing usage. Businesses can set budgets and track spend across the entire organization, tying services to individual users or groups. That lets enterprises get very granular reports about where their money is going and get alerts when spending hits certain thresholds.

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Et Tu, Virginia? Again with the Sea Level Rise

At the risk of becoming Plugged-In?s ?Those crazies are at it again? correspondent, I would like to bring your attention to two noteworthy developments regarding sea level and politics, and then I hope to wash my hands of the topic ? with higher sea levels making hand-washing especially convenient, of course.

In case you're interested in actual data. In case.

The first concerns the Commonwealth of Virginia, which ? thanks, neighbors! ? is taking a bit of the heat off North Carolina?s legislature. In Virginia, as in North Carolina, reasonable lawmakers concerned about changing climate and sea levels commissioned a study. And like in North Carolina, less-reasonable types in the legislature couldn?t stand the idea of addressing things like ?sea level rise,? which this piece from the Virginian-Pilot says are considered ?liberal code words.? So in order to pass through the legislature the study addressed ?recurrent flooding? instead.

Dumb enough, and at least the Virginian legislators didn?t try to legislate the scientific methods as their counterparts in NC had. The problem is, where the Virginia legislators chose language out of fear, the Virginian-Pilot unwittingly piled on. Suggesting that ?sea level rise? and ?climate change? are perceived as ?liberal code words? is perfectly reasonable; unreasonable people do perceive them as such. BIll sponsor Chris Stolle called ?sea level rise? ?a left-wing term,? after all. But they?re not liberal code words: they?re scientific terms. The Virginian-Pilot should have noted this. More, the Virginian-Pilot called the ?recurrent flooding? term the legislators used a ?more politically neutral phrase,? which is wrong twice.

In the first place, ?recurrent flooding? is to ?sea level rise? as ?repeated breath holding? is to ?drowning.? One is local and manageable; the other is systemic and catastrophic; pretending they?re the same is politics of a high order. More important, ?recurrent flooding? is not a more politically neutral phrase. ?Sea-level rise? is utterly politically neutral, because it is scientific, not political. It involves data and science, not politics and manipulation. ?Recurrent flooding? on the other hand is a completely political phrase because it tries to soft-pedal reality. By buying into the belief that the very phrase ?sea level rise? is somehow political, the Virginian-Pilot helps anti-science forces politicize even scientific language, to say nothing of science itself. Please insert your own ?Yes, Virginia, ?? joke here; at Plugged In we?re just too tired.

If people begin claiming the sky is green (just wait), saying the sky is blue is not political: it?s rational. Wearily agreeing to call the sky ?blue according to some scientists? isn?t less-political. It?s suicide. So is this language.

Considering which, thank goodness for the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which is running a ?Sea No Evil? contest on its Facebook page asking for suggestions for things besides the scientific modeling of sea level rise that the North Carolina legislature could render illegal. The answers are getting good: Rebecca Snider suggests banning medical tests, allowing diagnosis only on the basis of family history; Peter Walz suggests banning meteorological forecasting of record highs or lows, since there?s no historical record of those beforehand. The Federation hopes to eventually get a rational legislator to propose the best suggestions as amendments to the slightly less overtly crazy sea level rise bill when the NC Senate votes on it.

It?s nice to hear reasonable voices. Add yours to the chorus.

?

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Idaho executes inmate for woman's killing in 1984

BOISE, Idaho (AP) ? Idaho prison officials on Tuesday executed a convicted killer for brutally stabbing a woman nearly three decades ago, marking the first time witnesses were allowed to watch the whole process of lethal injection in the state after a challenge by media organizations.

Richard Leavitt, 53, was pronounced dead at 10:25 a.m. at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.

Tuesday's lethal injection was unprecedented in the state due to the expanded access granted to media and other state witnesses in the wake of a federal lawsuit.

The Associated Press and 16 other news groups sued last month, arguing that Idaho Department of Correction policy barring witnesses from viewing a lethal injection last November in its entirety violated the First Amendment and the public's right to know.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, ordering Idaho prison officials to open the curtain immediately after Leavitt entered the execution chamber, enabling witnesses to oversee as executioners insert IV catheters into Leavitt's body.

The insertion of IV catheters, used to deliver lethal doses of sedatives and other chemicals, has come under fire in recent years. Death row inmates in Idaho and other states have challenged the procedure on grounds the insertion of the catheters can cause delays, excruciating pain or other complications.

Brent Reinke, Idaho's prison chief, said the agency and its execution team made adjustments to comply with the federal court order. He said execution team members will wear headgear and other garb designed to protect their identities. The team also held two rehearsals in recent days to adjust to policy changes sought by the news groups.

"We have taken what we believe are the necessary steps to protect the identity of our team, especially our medical team," Reinke told reporters early Tuesday. "But from the time we begin this process, the blinds will be open so the media will see everything that happens."

In the hours before the execution, Reinke described Leavitt as calm and resolved after meeting with lawyers and a few visitors. Leavitt, convicted in 1985 for stabbing and mutilating 31-year-old Danette Elg, did not ask to see a spiritual advisor.

Late Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Leavitt's last-minute request to stay the execution, clearing the way for Idaho to put to death its second inmate in 17 years. In November, Paul Ezra Rhoades was died by lethal injection for his role in the slaying of three people in eastern Idaho.

About 29 people gathered outside the prison south of Boise to protest the execution and the state's capital punishment law.

Leavitt was arrested after authorities discovered Elg's body in her bedroom several days after she'd been killed. Prosecutors said Leavitt stabbed her repeatedly with exceptional force, and then cut out her sexual organs.

At his sentencing, former 7th District Judge H. Reynold George noted that Leavitt came from a law-abiding family, was married and steadily employed before his arrest, but said those mitigating factors were only "feathers on the scale when balanced against the grossly inhumane act of murder that went beyond all decency."

___

AP reporter Todd Dvorak contributed to this story.

Associated Press

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I'll Have Another suddenly retired with injury

I'll Have Another walks in the barn with groom Benjamin Perez after a morning workout at Belmont Park, Friday, June 8, 2012 in Elmont, N.Y. The Triple Crown hopeful runs Saturday in the Belmont Stakes. I'll Have Another's bid for a Triple Crown ended Friday morning with the shocking news that the chestnut colt was out of the Belmont Stakes because of a swollen left front tendon.(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

I'll Have Another walks in the barn with groom Benjamin Perez after a morning workout at Belmont Park, Friday, June 8, 2012 in Elmont, N.Y. The Triple Crown hopeful runs Saturday in the Belmont Stakes. I'll Have Another's bid for a Triple Crown ended Friday morning with the shocking news that the chestnut colt was out of the Belmont Stakes because of a swollen left front tendon.(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The front legs of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another, are shown during a news conference at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., on Friday, June 8, 2012. I'll Have Another's bid for a Triple Crown ended with the shocking news that the colt was out of the Belmont Stakes due to a swollen left front tendon. The Belmont Stakes horse race is Saturday. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

I'll Have Another is tended to after a bath at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., on Thursday, June 7, 2012. The winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness will attempt to win the Belmont Stakes horse race and Triple Crown on Saturday. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

I'll Have Another walks in the barn after a morning workout at Belmont Park, Friday, June 8, 2012 in Elmont, N.Y. The Triple Crown hopeful runs Saturday in the Belmont Stakes. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Benjamin Perez walks I'll Have Another outside a barn at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., on Friday, June 8, 2012. I'll Have Another's bid for a Triple Crown ended Friday morning with the shocking news that the chestnut colt was out of the Belmont Stakes because of a swollen left front tendon. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Triple Crown curse lives. This time the horse didn't even make it to the starting gate.

I'll Have Another's bid for the first Triple Crown in 34 years ended stunningly Friday when the chestnut colt was retired on the eve of the Belmont Stakes with an injury to his left front tendon.

"I'm afraid history is going to have to wait for another day," said J. Paul Reddam, the colt's owner.

I'll Have Another, who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes with stirring stretch drives, was the 4-5 early favorite to win the Belmont and become the 12th Triple Crown winner and first since Affirmed in 1978.

Instead, he'll make one final trip to the racetrack with his jockey Mario Gutierrez to lead the other Belmont horses during Saturday's post parade ? no longer a prelude to greatness, but merely a wistful farewell.

"He'll be my hero forever," a somber Gutierrez said. "What I'll Have Another did for me is so amazing. He brought happiness to my life."

Always the longest and toughest of the Triple Crown events, the 1 1-2-mile Belmont was instantly reduced to being just another big race.

The favorite's role fell to Dullahan, who ran third in the Derby and had been second in the morning line for the Belmont. He was made the 9-5 early choice.

Trainer Doug O'Neill said I'll Have Another was being retired because he developed swelling in his left front tendon that was the beginning of tendinitis.

"This is extremely tough for all of us. It's far from tragic but it's extremely disappointing," he said.

O'Neill's brother, Dennis, said it was hard to tell anything was wrong just by looking at the horse.

"He looks great. He's sound. He went great this morning. He looks super (but) you just can't take a chance," he said. "He's too valuable of a horse and we love him to death like all of them. You wouldn't run a horse if you think something might happen."

The scratch comes a day before an estimated 100,000 fans were expected to converge on the track in hopes of seeing, at long last, a Triple Crown winner ? a champion who would help resurrect a struggling racing industry.

I'll Have Another joined 11 other horses since Affirmed who won the Derby and the Preakness, but were unable to complete a Triple Crown sweep in the Belmont, extending the longest gap between Triple winners to 35 years. The colt also became the third winner of the first two legs who was unable to run in the finale; Burgoo King in 1932 and Bold Venture in 1936 were the others.

"It's like completely letting the air out of a balloon," said Ken McPeek, who trains Belmont contenders Atigun and Unstoppable U.

Dale Romans, who trains Dullahan, said: "This was going to be a special race, one of the biggest races of our time. I'd rather have him in there. It would have been something special to beat him."

Doug O'Neill said he first noticed something might be wrong with the colt Thursday, hours after his usual morning gallop.

"We prayed he kind of hit himself and that it was a little bit of skin irritation," he told a horde of media gathered outside the detention barn at Belmont Park.

O'Neill had called an audible Friday and taken his horse out to gallop at 5:30 a.m., three hours earlier than he had been working out in the days leading up to the race. He wanted to avoid the congestion created by all the Belmont horses going to the track at the same time.

"I thought he looked great on the track," he said, "and then cooling out, you could tell that swelling was back, and at that point I didn't feel very good."

A veterinarian confirmed the diagnosis and suggested that O'Neill give the colt three to six months off before resuming training. But O'Neill said he and his brother, along with Reddam and his wife, were unanimous in deciding to retire the colt who had won four consecutive Grade 1 races, starting with the Santa Anita Derby in April.

"I really thought he was going to run off tomorrow and really show something," Reddam said. "So we were all a bit shocked, but we have to do what's best for the horse."

Dr. Larry Bramlage, on-call veterinarian for the Belmont, said it wouldn't hurt I'll Have Another to walk on the track "but would be a concern at a mile-and-a-half at full speed."

He compared the problem to an Achilles tendon injury, which usually keeps a person off his feet for six weeks.

"This one to the horse is nowhere near that severity," he said, "but it takes the same amount of time to rehab it."

Bramlage said it probably would take a year for the colt to recover. He added that a tendon in a racehorse is "more highly evolved" than anything in a human.

O'Neill said I'll Have Another would return to his home base at Betfair Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., in the next few days.

The injury underlines the fragility of these 1,100-pound thoroughbreds, racing at speeds up to 40 mph. Other Triple Crown bids were foiled in odd ways, too.

Big Brown was pulled up at the top of the stretch in the 2008 Belmont, mysteriously failing to finish the race; War Emblem nearly fell to his knees coming out of the starting gate in 2002 and wound up eighth; Charismatic broke two bones in his left front leg with a quarter mile to go, but still finished third in 1999; Spectacular Bid stepped on a safety pin in his stall before the 1979 race and finished third; and Tim Tam ended up second in 1958 after running the final quarter-mile with a broken bone in his right front ankle.

"You only get one chance to do this," said four-time Belmont winner D. Wayne Lukas, who trains Belmont Stakes contender Optimizer. "From the standpoint of a purist, it's a blow."

After talking to the media, O'Neill led I'll Have Another out of the detention barn and walked him down a path toward the barn where the colt had stayed for most of the time he had been at the track. Since Wednesday, all the Belmont Stakes horses were housed in the same barn with 24-hour surveillance; New York racing officials said it was to ensure the race was run fairly.

"Some people have asked did the detention barn have anything to do with this. Absolutely not. Just a freakish thing," O'Neill said. "I've been hoping and praying he would stay injury-free, and it didn't happen."

O'Neill has been under intense scrutiny throughout the Triple Crown series because of his history of medication violations. He is set to begin a 45-day suspension next month after one of his horses tested positive for excess total carbon dioxide in a race last year.

The New York State Racing and Wagering Board said Friday that initial testing of samples taken from all 12 Belmont Stakes entries on Wednesday were negative.

"Our hearts go out to the connections of I'll Have Another," NYRA chairman Steven Duncker said. "We are all disappointed for them, the fans, and for the sport of thoroughbred racing, but the most important concern is always the health and well-being of the horses."

Associated Press

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